Keeping Habits
by PaperInked
Summary: It's the first Christmas since their father died, but Phillipa and James are in good hands.


Disclaimer: I don't own Inception and its characters. Lucky, because I don't think I could've done a job as good as Christopher Nolan.

Summary: It's the first Christmas since their father died, but Phillipa and James are in good hands.

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><p>Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house<p>

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

_-'A Visit From St. Nicholas', Clement Clarke Moore_

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><p>"<em>He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"<em> With that last line, Ariadne closed the book and looked down fondly at the two children fast asleep on her either side. A glance at the clock on the wall told her it was half-past ten, still an hour-and-a-half until Christmas.

As carefully as she could, Ariadne climbed out of the bed, the wood creaking only the slightest bit under her weight.

"Good night, Ariadne." James mumbled sleepily, curling into his sister as a replacement.

"Good night, James." she whispered back, planting a chaste kiss on the small boy's forehead.

She turned out the lights as she left the room, glancing back at them one last time before closing the door. Outside, she ran into Miles, standing in the hallway and studying a Christmas card.

"Are you sure you don't want a room, Ariadne? It's really no problem." her professor said.

"No, no, I'm alright." Ariadne said. When her flight had been put forward by a day, she had no choice but to call Miles to see if he could accommodate her for the night. The girl she was supposed to be staying with still had her boyfriend in her apartment, and Ariadne drew the line at playing third-wheel for Christmas. Anyway, the others were due to arrive the next day, so Christmas wouldn't be too boring. "Thank you for having me."

"It's no trouble. Well, if you insist, just make yourself at home."

Ariadne nodded her thanks, and the two parted ways. She headed back downstairs to the living room where her bags sat. Taking a seat on the couch, she watched the glittering of the Christmas lights on the tree for awhile, before the miniscule pile of presents beneath the tree caught her eye. Cobb and Mal hadn't really had a life outside of their job, and when Mal died, Cobb had kept mostly to himself, leaving only his parents to care for his children after he was gone. Ariadne thought it was pretty sad, and she dug into her bag for the presents she'd bought, blinking tears from her eyes.

Slowly, she removed each one and placed it under the tree. There. That was better.

Ariadne wondered if Cobb had ever played Santa Clause, sneaking around in the red outfit after midnight just to fulfill a child's fantasy. She thought he might have. At the very least, she knew that his children had yet to be relieved of the notion that Santa was real. There was a plate of cookies and milk on the table next to the tree, and Phillipa had left a folded up note under the plate.

Standing, Ariadne went over to the storeroom, digging through the bag of Christmas ornaments and hats. If Cobb had ever played Santa, there would be a suit in there somewhere. And if there was a suit in there, Ariadne would find it, and she was determined to take Cobb's old role for the night. If James and Phillips were anything like she had been when she was little, they would definitely be awake when Christmas came around, and they would be overjoyed no matter how small a glimpse they caught of Santa.

Unfortunately, ten minutes passed and Ariadne still couldn't find a suit. Dejected, she went back to the couch and turned on the tv. Hopefully the sudden increase in presents under the tree would do. She reminded herself to eat the cookies later, sank into the sofa and was asleep within minutes.

_i_

Ariadne woke with a start to the precise click of something falling into place. She opened her eyes and sat up, slightly disoriented. The tv was still playing, volume turned down low, and she switched it off. A very sudden quietness filled the dark house. Someone had turned off the lights while she'd slept, and the red, greens and blues of the Christmas tree's lights added a colourful tinge to the warm yellow of moonlight bathing the room.

She stood, stretching her muscles, and nearly hit Miles, emerging from the kitchen with a Santa suit in his hands. He looked a bit embarrassed to be caught.

"Dom used to do it." he explained. "I thought, either way, they should have someone to play Santa."

"That's lovely." Ariadne said honestly, and Miles' face broke into a smile.

"Well, I'd better get changed." he said, gesturing to the clock. "It 's nearly midnight. Help me unpack the presents, will you?

Ariadne had taken half a step towards the tree when Miles caught her arm.

"What was that?" he asked.

"What was what?" Ariadne asked, just as the front door opened a creak and two figures stepped in.

Miles made a noise in the back of his throat, pulling Ariadne back and out of sight. They watched as the two figures walked towards the living room, shadows hiding their faces.

"Oh, look darling, cookies." A voice said.

Ariadne paused. The voice sounded familiar, almost like-

"Eames." the second figure spoke, and Ariadne's heart leapt into her throat. She launched towards the lights and flicked them on.

It took her eyes awhile to adjust to the light, but much longer to adjust to the sight. On one hand, there was Arthur, looking exactly like she'd remembered him, three-piece suit still kept in pristine condition. Then, there was Eames. In a Santa's outfit.

"Hmm. It's an Ariadne doll. Do you think Miles got her for me or you?" Eames asked Arthur conversationally. "She looks just like the real thing."

"What are you guys doing?" Ariadne exclaimed, going up to them.

"Oh, hello there, darling." Eames feinted being shocked. "Just a bit of friendly visiting. Arthur here was crying his eyes out because-"

"Eames." Arthur said firmly. "Let's just do what we came here for, okay? Miles, we're sorry to barge in like this."

Miles was staring at them, probably thinking it was all just a weird dream. "It's alright, Arthur. You're always welcome here, you know that."

With presents from all four of them sitting under the tree, the pile was becoming an exciting sight indeed. Ariadne couldn't wait to see James and Phillipa's expressions the next morning.

Eames picked up a cookie from the plate and waved it at Arthur. "Say 'ah'."

"You eat it, you're Santa." Arthur said, sidestepping the forger. He picked up the note under the plate just as a high-pitched squeal broke the quiet.

"SANTA!"

"Shit." Eames said, mouth full of cookie. He darted out the door and vanished just as Cobb's two children came tumbling down the stairs and into the living room.

"Did you see him, Ariadne? Did you, did you? Did he bring all these presents? Uncle Arthur, you're here!" the two children shouted, running circles around the tree in delight.

While Miles tried quieting them down, Ariadne moved so she was standing face to face with Arthur.

"Cobb used to do it." Arthur said. "I thought they might need it."

Ariadne was smiling so wide she was afraid her teeth might fall out.

"Merry Christmas, Arthur."

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><p>Thanks for reading! Hope you're all having a very good holidays!<p> 


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